'Foul' fourth quarter hurts Ephrata in home loss to Ellensburg

EPHRATA — For the initial 75% percent of their Saturday night basketball matchup against visiting Ellensburg, the Tiger boys mostly held the advantage. But a foul-plagued fourth quarter hurt the hosts, allowing the Bulldogs to pull away for 52-40 win in Central Washington Athletic Conference play.

"We were controlling tempo and leading by one after three quarters," Ephrata coach Rick Walter said afterward. "The fourth was odd. We had some good looks that didn't go in, and I think we got tired on the defensive end and gave up too many easy baskets in the paint."

Ephrata led 7-5 after the first quarter and held a 30-29 lead heading into the final period.

Then the Bulldogs took over, outscoring Ephrata 23-10 in the fourth, fueled by nine fouls called against the Tigers. The visitors traveled to the free-throw line repeatedly, converting for nine points to seal the win.

Ellensburg’s offense was led by Will Bennett and Ryder Smith, each scoring 12 points, and the Bulldogs outrebounded Ephrata, 36-25.

Brady Hendrick and Jose Barrita led the Tigers with nine points each, with Barrita connecting on a trio of 3-pointers. Cooper Black added seven points, six rebounds and three assists; Jett Julian contributed five points; and Mitch Morford pulled down a team-high seven boards while netting four points.

Ephrata (2-8, 1-5 CWAC) shot 31.5% from the field and did not fare well at the free-throw line, sinking just 1-of-5 attempts.

The Tigers travel to East Valley-Yakima tonight (Jan. 6) to take on the Red Devils in another CWAC contest.

"Our focus is to control their guard penetration and rebound," Walter said. "Pound [the ball] inside with our bigs."

Dueling 30- and 28-point performances highlight CWAC showdown

OTHELLO — Brady Hendrick turned in a monster performance on Friday, Jan. 2, pouring in a career-high 28 points and collecting 10 rebounds, but Ephrata couldn't overcome a slow start in a 61-57 CWAC loss to Othello.

Hendrick carried the offensive load for the Tigers, shooting 10-of-21 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and sunk five of eight attempts at the charity stripe. His double-double outing accounted for nearly half of Ephrata's total points.

But that was matched with an explosive performance on the other end by Othello's LJ Nunez, who led the host Huskies with 30 points.

Othello jumped out to an 18-11 first-quarter advantage and increased their lead to 32-22 at halftime. After intermission, though, the Tigers were nearly even in the third quarter and fought back in the fourth, outscoring the Huskies 21-14 in the final period, but their rally fell short at the buzzer.

Along with Hendrick's effort, Ephrata got eight points from Benson Bair, Morford added five points and eight rebounds, and Cooper Black dished out seven assists.

Overall, though, it was a cold night shooting for Ephrata: 28.6% from the field, including a struggling 20.7 % (6-of-29) from 3-point range.

CWAC Scoreboard: Friday, Jan. 2: Grandview 83, East Valley (Yakima) 38 | Ellensburg 69, Quincy 52 | West Valley (Yakima) 84, Selah 66 | Othello 84, Ephrata 66.

Saturday, Jan. 3: Selah 89, Othello 70 | Grandview 84, Toppenish 61 | East Valley (Yakima) 72, Quincy 68 | Ellensburg 52, Ephrata 40.